Seed-dropping mechanism for corn-planters.



T. C. ROSELAND. SEED lDBGPPING MECHANISM FOB. GORN PLANTERS.

APPLIOATIOK FILED 11.3.3, 1908.V

Patnted Jan. 5, 1909.

2 sums-SHEET 1.

PIIII'I TH: NoRRls a., wAsHlNororv, D. cA

T. C. ROSELAND. SEED DROPPING MEGHANISM FOR CORN PLANTERS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3, 1 908.

Patented Ja11.5, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

TOBIAS C. ROSELAND, OF GILMAN, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO FRANK R. ENSMINGER, OF GILMAN, IOWA.

SEED-DROPPING MEGHANISM FOR CORN-PLANTERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

Application filed February 3, 1908. Serial No. 414,058.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Tomas C. RosnLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing in (ilinan, in the county of Marshall and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and uset'ul Improvements in Seed-Dropping li/lechanisms for Corn-Planters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in seed dropping mechanisms for corn planters.

Among the salient objects of the invention ai to provide a construction in which the se themselves so automatically control the ejecting or delivery mechanism as to insure the dropping oi" the predetermined number of seeds into each hill; to provide a construction which is adapted to be automatically operated by the usual check row wire; to provide a construction which enables the number of seeds for each hill to be varied by the operation of setting a simple leverage mechanism, without necessitating any change in the parts of the mechanism; to provide improved dropping mechanism controlled by the check row wire and adapted to automatically actuate the ejecting mechanism only when the latter is in operative position; to provide a construction in which the various operating devices automatically control or regulate each other; to provide a dropping mechanism which may be readily applied to most ot the standard planters in use without expensive or complicated changes in the construction; and in general to provide an improved construction of the character referred to.

The invention will be understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is plan view of a corn planter equipped with my corn dropping mechanism, a portion of the tongue and associated parts being broken away to reduce the size of the drawing. Fig. 2 is aV side elevation ot the main parts of the dropping mechanism, associated mechanism being shown pai-ly in section and partly in dotted lines, to more clearly bring out details of con struction. Fig. is a sectional View taken axially and vertically through the ejector mechanism and showing various associated parts in elevation. Fig. 4 is a detail cross sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing the bracket members which register with the check row wire and also support the tripping bail and its operating lever. Fig. 5 is a top or plan view of the dropping mechanism, certain parts being shown in section, and others broken away, to show details of construction. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic View showing the cylindric cam surface developed into a ilat surface and also showing the dropping plungers in the various positions they assume relative to said cam. Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the spring actuated leverage mec ianism which controls the number of seeds to be dropped into a hill parts being broken away to reduce the size of the drawing. Fig. 8 is an axial sectional view of one of the dropper plungers. Fig. 9 is an axial sectional detail of the switch standard, taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates as a whole a corn planter the general fea tures of which are of well known construction, comprising a frame 2, traction wheels 4, and driving gear 5; and carrying at its forward end a pair of transverse frame bars 3. Upon the respective outer ends of these frame bars are mounted bracket like cross frame members 6, the outer arms 7 of which register with the check row wire 8.

Journaled to extend through the cross supports or brackets 6 is a driving shaft 9, which extends transversely of the planter and is additionally supported by a second pair of cross arms 10 mounted to extend between the transverse bars 3. Upon the outer side of each bracket 6 and upon shaft 9 is loosely iournaled a trip lever 11. The upper end of each of these levers terminates in a fork 12 adapted to be engaged by the knobs 13 of the check row wire 8. The lower ends of the levers extend some dis tance below the shaft 9 and are adapted to scillate a bail 14 which is idly suspended from the same shaft and extends transversely of the frame and beneath the driv ing shaft as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4. At points adjacent to each of the corn dropping mechanisms, the bail 14 is provided with a right angled upstanding arm 15 which terminates in a bent over and curved finger 16. This finger 16 cooperates with a lug upon a switch standard which throws the corn dropping mechanism into eii'ective action upon the oscillation of the bail, as will hereinafter appear. From the foregoing it will be understood that when the trip lever 11 is engaged by one of the knobs 13 of the check `row wire 8, the lower end of the lever will engage the transverse bar of the bail and oscillate the latter, thus actuating the finger 16 carried by the bail.

Describing now the corn dropping mechanism proper, upon the transverse bars 3 is mounted a suitable frame or casting 17 which supports the corn dropping mechanism, designated as a whole by 13. lith the forward one of the pair of bars 3 is connected a pair of runner or furrow opener blades 19, and a pair of chutes 19 which lead from the lower side of the dropping mechanism to the heels of the runner blades, in a well known manner. Suitable valve mechanism will be arranged within this chute to control the passage of the seeds therethrough in a well known manner, this valve mechanism forming no part of the present invention and being therefore omitted.

On the frame member 17 is rigidly mounted a suitable hopper 20 which as to its main portion is desirably made cylindric, and has a conical lower discharge portion 21. The hopper discharges into one side of an approximately cylindric hub 22, the exterior cylindric surface of which constitutes a cam, and which will hereinafter be termed the cam hub. The interior of this cam hub is provided with a conical shaped seed chamber 23, which communicates with the hopper 2l as shown clearly in Fig. 3. Upon the shaft 9 adjacent to the cam hub is keyed an agitator member 24 which takes the form of a disk provided with a thickened peripheral portion 25 which telescopes over and quite closely fits upon the cam hub and is interiorly provided with an annular groove or chamber 26 in open communication with the chamber 23 of the cam hub. The part 25 is provided with a circumferential series of studs or cylindric projections 27 having their axes severally arranged parallel with the axis of rotation of the agitator, z'. e., parallel with the shaft 9.

These studs 27 are severally bored axially, as indicated at 2S, to receive dropper plungers 29; their bores being arranged to intersect the annular groove 26 and to extend entirely through the opposed portions of the disk 24 so that the plungers may work through the device.

Each plunger is provided near one end and at its radially inner side with a recess 30, and the plunger receives a bodily endwise movement, which at the inner limit of movement of the plunger brings said recess into register with the channel 26 and at its outer limit of movement carries the recess outside of the inner face of the disk 24 and into vertical register with the chute 19, as seen clearly in Fig. 3. In order to impart these movements to the several plunger-s, each is provided at its inner end with a radially inwardly projecting cam stud 31 which engages and is actuated by a proporly shaped cam track 32 formed in the cylindric periphery of the cam hub.

Each dropper plunger is provided with a gripper 33 taking the'form of a rod or plunger mounted to reciprocate endwise in the plunger 29 and having its gripping or engaging end 34 arranged to work in the recess 30 of the plunger. The grippers are each spring pressed to project into their respective recesses by means of coiled springs 35 mounted upon the reduced portions 33 thereof; the spring being confined between the enlarged end portion 34; and a screw plug 36 inserted in the end of the bore which receives the gripper.

Each gripper has imparted to it a movement which retracts it during the time it is traversing the lower part of its revolution so as to admit a seed between the end of the gripper and the opposed jaw or surface of the recess 30, permits it to close upon the seed under the tension of its spring before it ascends very far in the revolution of the agitator, and then again retracts it sufficiently to release the seed at the time when the plunger is bodily shifted outwardly, z'. e., while the plunger is passing through the upper part of this bodily revolution with the ejector. To effect this movement of the several grippers, each is provided at its exterior end with a cam stud 37 which extends radially inwardly and engages a second cam track 38 formed upon the cam hub. Each gripper is also provided with an outwardly extending cam stud 38 for a purpose hereinafter described. The several studs 31, 37 and 3S extend through longitudinal slots formed in the sides of the respective studs 27 so that each plunger and its contained gripper is held against axial rotation.

The peculiar configuration of the cam tracks 32 and 38 whereby the foregoing movements are effected is best shown in Fig. 6 wherein the peripheral surface of the cam hub is developed into a flat surface. Assuming that the ejector member which carries the dropper plungers is moving from left to right, the plunger designated a would be at the lower side of the ejector and the gripper retracted to its extreme, so as to admit the seed to the plunger recess. 1u the next position, designated the plunger remains in the same position relative to the ejector, but the gripper has advanced and grasped the seed, as shown in dotted lines. In the third position designated c the plunger has been bodily shifted outwardly in discharging position corresponding to the upper side of the cam hub and the gripper retracted relatively to the plunger so that the seed is treed and dropped. llhe gripper will assume the position there only in case the switch lug` 40 is swung around into the path of the gripper stud 37, as shown in full lines in Fig. 6. The operation of the switch 40 will be hereinafter described. ln the eventthat the switch 40 is in the position shown in dotted lines, the gripper will not pass into the position c but will take the position c shown in dotted lines, and the seed will thus not be ejected. ln the fourth position designated (Z, the gripper and plunger have returned to the initial position, or that which these parts occupied relatively to each other at the beginning ot the cycle described.

Describing now the mechanism which controls the ettective operation ot tl e plunger elements, 41 designates a hollow tubular standard mounted on a bracket 42 which is carried by a collar 42 and is adapted to be set and locked in various positions ot angular adjustment by means oit a lever 43. The standard 41. is rotatably mounted upon a journal stud 42 on the base 42 and is spring rotated to its normal position by means of a coiled spring 44 which is supe ported by a tixed pin 45 extendin upwardly through the tubular member 41 and ha ring its lower end rigidly seated in the base 42. The lower end of the spring 44 is attached to the stationary journal stud while the upper end is lixed to a cap 47'having an inwardly extending portion 47 which telescopes over and fits loosely upon the upper end oit' the pin This head 47 is rigidly secured to the tubular member 41 by means of one or more screws 4S, so that the rotation oi. the standard 41 will be etiected and its position controlled by the spring 44. The lower vend of the standard 41 carries a lever arm 49 which is adapted to engage with, and be opera-ted by, the several plunger elements, as shown clearly in Fig. 5. The relative arrangement ot' these parts just described is such that the outer end 49 ot the lever 49 will normally be forced inwardly into approximate engagement with the outer 'face oi the'disk 24 and ends of the plungers, through the action ot the coil spring 44. At its upper end the. standard 41 is provided with a second arm 50 which near its outer end is provided with a right angled extension forming a push pawl 51, which is loosely mounted upon the rod or lever 50 which is held down by its own weight.

The pawl 51 rests upon a ratchet disk 52 which is mounted upon a bracket like support 52 upon the main casting member. rllhe upper i'ace ot this dislr is provided with three radially arranged rows of ribs 53, while the outer periphery oit the disk is provided with tour notches54 spaced equal distance apart. The cooperation of the pawl ot one or more screws 6?.

51 with the sets of ribs is such that as the pawl is advanced it will engage some one ot the ribs 53 and step the disk forwardly. The relative arrangement ot the levers 49 and is such that when the lever 49 is forced outwardly by the action ot one ot the plunger elements, the lever 50 will swinginwardly carrying with it the pawl 51 which will step the dislr forwardly, and as the jiilunger passes out of engagement with the ar n os to their normal position.

its heretofore stated the base 42 which supports the standard 41. is adjusted by means ot a lever 43. rthis is for the purpose ot adjusting the pawls towards or from the center oit the ratchet dish so that it may enauy desired one of the three rows of ribs upon the ratchet disk, and turn the latter trom one notch. 54 to the next in two, three or more steps.

is will hereinafter appear more clearly the coperation of the pawl 51 with the radial ribs is such as to control the number or' seeds which will be dropped into each hill. rlhe arrangement is such that when the pawl is set to engage the ribs near the periphery oit the disk, four seeds will be dropped between the notches lNhen the pawl 51 is set to engage the middle, or the inner portions of the disk three and two seeds, respectively, will be dropped to each hill. is will hereinafter appear a y desired number of seeds may be dropped into each hill by varying the arrangement of the ribs Describing now the mechanism which controls the course ot the plunger studs in their rotation around the cam hub, 61 designates a spring` controlled tubular switch standard, generally similar in construction to the tubular member 4l above described. This standard 6l is rotatably mounted upon a base G2 tixed to the main casting, and is spring rotated by means of a coiled spring G3 supported upon a fixed pin G4. This pin G4 extends upwardly through the tubular member 61 and at its lower end is seated in a journal stud G5 which may be integral with the base 62 as shown in 9. rlhe lower end of the spring 63 is rigidly lixed in stud (l5, while the upper end of the spring is secured to a cap (i6 having an inwardly extending` portion 66 which tits within the tubular member 61 and also is bored to tele scope loosely over the upper end of the pin (i4. The head 66 is rigidly secured to the upper end of the switch standard by means lt will thus be seen that cooperation in the above described parts is such that the movement ot the switch standard is etlected and controlled through the action of the spring 63. Upon the upper end ot member G1 (see Fig. 5) is rigidly fixed a cam shaped lug 60 which 49 the spring 44 will return the lever 1 normally bears against the edge of the circular disk 52, under the action of the spring 63.

AFrom the lower end of the member 61 extends the switch lug 40, heretofore referred to, and which is adapted when in the position shown in Fig. 5 to guide the respective plunger elements into the cam groove 39 as they move past said switch lug. This lug e0 is held in this position at first by a latch member 69, hereinafter described, and afterwards the engagement of the lug GO with the disk 52, heretofore described until one of the notches 54- registers with the lug 60. Describing said latch mechanism, the member 69 is pivoted between its ends, at 70, to an overhanging part of its hopper-supporting frame, and is curved to approximately conform to the curved path of movement of the plungers 29. The head of the latch is hooked to engage a lug or detent 76 on the switch standard, while the tail end thereof is deflected to extend (when the latch engages detent 76) obliquely across the path of movement of the radially-outstanding studs 38 of the plungers. The inner edge of the latch G9 has a cam web 71 upon which the stud 38 of the iirst plunger which is switched into the cam groove 32 acts and thus trips off the latch. A spring 7 acts upon the latch 69 to canse it to engage the detent. The rst plunger' switched into cam groove 32 actuates the pawl and ratchet mechanism which steps forward the disk and the movement of the disk occurs slightly in advance of the tripping olf of the latch, so that the dropping of the lug 6() back into the same notch from which it was just withdrawn is precluded.

The switch shunts each plunger into the cam groove 32, thereby effecting the delivery of its seeds and a corresponding stepning forward of the disk until the next notch of the disk has been brought into register with controlling lug 60, whereupon the switch returns to inoperative position and so remains until again actuated by the bail finger 16. In this connection it is to be noted that should any plunger fail to load itself with a seed, the closed-up position of the gripper 34e would carry its lug 37 out of the path of the switch lug to such an eX- tent that the plunger as a whole would not be shunted over far enough to take the cam track 3Q and hence, of course the disk would not be stepped forward. This arrangement insures that each seed actually counts itself and that any number of idle plungers may go by without actuating the tally disk, which latter will keep the switch in operative position until the requisite number of seeds have been counted out.

The operation of the various parts has been stated in the foregoing vdescription and need not therefore be repeated. It appears from the foregoing that the various mechanisms automatically control each other and each dropping mechanism is so arranged that it is in effect controlled by the separate seeds.

lt is of course apparent that the invention may be varied in numerous details of construct-ion without in any manner departing from the spirit of the invention.

l claim as my invention:

1. ln a seed dropping mechanism, the combination with a stationary hub, of a circular casing mounted to rotate around said hub and provided with a plurality of endwise shiftable seed ejecting members adapted to rotate bodily with said casing, means for shifting said ejecting members into operative position, and means controlled by the respective ejectors for placing said shifting mechanism in inoperative position.

2. ln a seed dropping mechanism, the combination with an ejector, means for feeding seed to said ejector and mechanism controlled by the seed within said ejector for delivering a predetermined number of seeds therefrom.

8. In a seed dropping mechanism, the combination with a cam hub, a circular casing mounted to rotate around said hub and carrying on its outer periphery a plurality of seed ejecting members, cam ejectors be-.

tween said hub and each of said ejectors, mechanism for actuating said ejectors and a step up mechanism controlling said ejecting mechanism and in turn controlled by said ejectors.

4. ln a seed dropping mechanism, the combination with an ejector, and mechanism for actuating said ejector, and mechanism controlling said actuating mechanism and in turn controlled by said ejector.

5. In a seed dropping mechanism, the combination with a rotating casing provided with a plurality of endwise shiftable ejectors, means forautomatically shifting each of said ejectors into operative ejecting position, and a step up mechanism controlling said ejectors.

6. ln a seed dropping mechanism, the combination with a cam hub, of an ejector mechanism mounted to rotate around said hub and provided with a plurality of endwise shiftable seed ejecting members, means for actuating said ejectors, a step up mechanism for controlling said ejecting members, and operative leverage connections between said step up mechanism and said ejector members whereby the latter actuates the former.

7. ln a seed mechanism, the combination with an ejector mechanism, actuating mechanism for shift-ing said ejector into operative position, a step up mechanism controlling said actuating mechanism and operative connections between said step up mechanism and said actuator whereby the lat-ter actuates said step up mechanism.

8. ln a seed dropping mechanism, a stationary hub, a plurality of seed ejecting members adapted to rotate around said hub and having endwise shiftable movement thereon, mechanism for successively actuating said ejector members to deliver seed therefrom, a rotating disk operatively connected with and controlling said actuating mechanism, mechanism for actuating said disk and operated by said ejector members, all of said parts being interconnected to operate in properly timed relation.

9. In a seed dropping mechanism, a cam hub, cam tracks upon said hub, an agitator mounted to rotate adjacent to the end of said cam hub, said hub having one or more journal like recesses, a plurality of seed gripper mechanisms working through said recess or recesses and mounted to rotate around said cam hub, cam connections between said gripper mechanisms and said cam tracks whereby the former may ride into ejecting or non-ejecting position upon said tracks, mechanism for automatically determining the position of each of said gripper mechanisms upon said cam hub.

10. In a seed dropping mechanism, the combination with a cam hub provided with a seed passage extending therethrough, a circular agitator journaled to rotate adjacent to the hollowed end of said hub and provided with a peripheral portion overhanging the exterior of the hub, said agitator being provided with an internal circumferential seed channel extending radially into this peripheral portion, a plurality of gripper mechanisms mounted in the peripheral portions of said ejector, each comprising a recessed dropper plunger mounted to reciprocate endwise to carry its recess into and out of register with the said channel, a gripper mounted within each plunger to reciprocate therein and arranged to enter the recess oi the plunger at its acting end, suitable cam connections between the cam hub and each dropper plunger whereby the lat-ter may ride into operative or inoperative position upon said hub, an actuating member for shifting the respective dropper plungers into operative position upon said cam hub, a rotating disk for locking said actuating means in inoperative position, means for restoring said actuating means to operative position, and operative leverage connections between said disk and the respective dropper plungers whereby the latter control the rotation of said disk.

l1. In a seed dropping mechanism, a

gripper mechanism comprising a bodily movable member provided with a narrow channel like recess of suitable size to insure the entrance of the seed therein, a coperative gripper mounted in said recess member and having its acting end arranged to move transversely of, and into and out of said seed recess, a seed ejector within which said gripper mechanism operates, means for imparting bodily movement to said recessed member, and mechanism controlled by the seed within said recess for imparting a releasing movement to the gripper.

l2. In a seed dropping mechanism, the combination with a hub, of a plurality of dropper plungers mounted to rotate around said hub and having endwise shiftable movement relative thereto, a seed recess in each of said dropper plungers, a gripper mounted to reciprocate into and out of said seed recess, mechanism for imparting a gripping and releasing movement to said gripper, mechanism controlled by said seed dropper plungers for placing said actuating mechanism in inoperative position, and means for restoring said actuating mechanism to operative position.

i3. In a seed dropping mechanism, the combination withan ejector, a mechanism controlled by the seeds within said ejector :tor delivering a predetermined number of seeds from said ejector while the latter is in operative ejecting position.

14. ln a seed dropping mechanism, the combination with an ejector, of mechanism for placing said ejector in operative or inoperative ejecting position, mechanism automatically controlling said ejector whereby a ,-nedetermined number of seeds will be delivered from the ejector while the latter is in said operative position, said mechanism being in turn automatically controlled by the seeds within said ejector.

l5. ln a seed dropping mechanism, the combination with a suitable carrier, of a seed ejector, means for charging said ejector with seed, means for effecting a discharging movement of the ejector, and a tally mechanism actuated by each eective discharging movement of the ejector.

i6. In a seed dropping mechanism, the combination with -a suitable carrier, of a seed ejector', means for charging said ejector with seed, means for effecting the discharging movement of the ejector, a tally mechanism actuated by each effective discharge movement ot' the ejector, and means controlled by said tally mechanism operating to interrupt the delivery of seed at the end oi a predetermined count.

1T ln a seed dropping mechanism, the combination with a suitable carrier, of a seed ejector, means for charging said ejector with seed, means for effecting the dischargplacing said ejector mechanism in operative ing' movement of the ejector, a tally meehposition after said interruption.

anisrn actuated by each effective discharoing movement of the ejector, means eolbi- TOBIAS C' ROSELAND' trolled by said tally mechanism operating Vitnesses:

to interrupt the delivery of seed at the end C. T. STEWART, of a predetermined Count, and means orl G. F. STANSBERRY. 

